That'd be a tram.
It's yellow.
Karl, why are the trams in Manchester, yellow?
Morning.
I don't - you swine, I don't know the answer to that.
Great way to start a video.
So Karl's here.
Say hello internet.
Hello internet.
You've met Karl before.
I've come to Manchester.
Technically we've come to Rochdale to start
to ride, how many are there?
99
99 tram stops.
We're not getting on and off every one,
cause that would take too long.
But we're just, we're going to ride the entire tram network
so we can say we've visited the entire tram system.
The whole lot.
We've spent ten pounds
on a bus, tram and train ticket.
Karl, can you do the history of Metro Link
in 10 seconds, go.
10 seconds, right.
So in 1992, Bury and Altrincham opens,
Eccles branch is then opened after that,
and then Rochdale, Oldham and Ashton branches are added.
And the new one is,
the newest one is the Trafford Centre branch here.
that was very succinct, well done.
[PA] This is a service to East Didsbury
via Oldham.
The next stop is the Rochdale Railway Station.
So not that we're timing it
for like record purposes,
but we did start at 10:41.
So, we're going to finish about half past six.
Oh good, eight hours with Karl.
You've got 8 hours with Geoff, mate.
Don't, don't -
That's, that's worse.
After we've gone over this bridge here,
we just left Rochdale,
we then join the old British Rail alignment
of the old, Oldham loop.
So I thought it was just Bury
that used the old alignment.
You're saying that Rochdale used old alignment too?
Yeah, Rochdale Oldham was
parts of it, or most of it.
Bury is an old BR alignment and
Altrincham is an old BR alignment as well.
And the rest is all purpose-built?
Yes.
Bye!
[PA] Service to East Didsbury via Oldham
How many have we done?
We've done one, two, done four already.
This is Oldham Mumps.
Number 9.
There's some old tram tracks from the
temporary tram solution.
But what I find interesting
is that obviously out in these sections,
we're on the old railway alignment
and the trams are fast
and they're running at 50 miles an hour.
And then when we get into purpose-built
on the road sections,
it's gonna slow right down as it comes more twisty and
and people get in the way.
So that's almost an hour
to get into the centre of town
from Rochdale on the tram.
Whereas if you've got the train, you get
It's 12 minutes wasn't it. It was 12 minutes
if you get the Leeds, the express service.
So, 55 minutes to an hour from Rochdale.
Hang on, why aren't we getting on here?
You can't get to Ashton from here,
the service pattern won't run through it to Ashton.
So, this is Market Street?
This is Market Street.
So we're going to have to Piccadilly Gardens
to pick up an Ashton one.
Are we going to make it?
Uh yeah. Get our trot on, we will.
Go, Go, Go. I want to see you trot.
Karl ran, I sort of did a fast walk.
Here he comes.
We've made it easy.
Could you explain what the DBL means
on the dot matrix?
Double Tram.
A prized thing here on the Metrolink system.
When you see a double tram it's like,
yeah, four carriages,
more room, less crowded.
The busiest lines like the Altrincham, Bury, Ashton
run double most of the time.
So on the way out to Ashton that'll be 35.
But so you've got a you've got a schedule.
I didn't realise you actually drew up a schedule.
So generally I mean after
I've built a lot of stock into this but
as things stand, we're bang on.
That's Droylsden.
Is that - did I say that was
Bang on, that was 10 out of 10.
Did I pronounce it right?
Thank you.
31 and Ashton will be 35.
I'm throwing a massive spanner in the works.
I'm suggesting to Karl
that the train we're about to get from Ashton,
we stay on past Victoria and go to Salford,
and then the nearest tram stop to Salford Crescent
is Anchorage and then we get onto the Eccles branch.
We do the Eccles branch first.
I'm trying to argue my case.
And Karl's not happy about it.
Can we walk from Salford Crescent to Anchorage
and save a bit of time that way?
it's about 15 to 20 minutes,
yeah and then we do everything in reverse
Is it worth doing?
So we're on the regular train back into Victoria.
I almost convinced Karl to do
what I'm going to call the Salford Shuffle,
but we decided to
deliberate if we're going to stick to our original plan.
So Victoria, we go around to Piccadilly and then
get the train out to ... East Didsbury.
East Didsbury, okay.
Piccadilly tram in one minute.
One minute. One minute, yeah.
So we'll get that.
Another win, its pulling in now.
Here we go.
So we're going through centre of Manchester,
Shudehill is number 36.
We're doing all right, says Karl.
You can't see me,
but I'm smiling behind, behind the mask.
I'm surprised Eric Clapton hasn't
Re-released "Behind the Mask"
He'd make a killing.
[PA] This is a service to Piccadilly.
The 13:58 is now plus 5, so its one o'clock in Piccadilly.
Could we make that train? Possibly, if we leg it like a pair of lunatics, yeah.
So you can get the train before?
Yeah.
Because it's running late?
Yes.
[PA] We are now approaching Piccadilly.
Travellator?
So this late running train
put us 10 minutes up.
Yeah.
On schedule.
Thanks Northern!
Is it Northern or is it a TPE?
It might have been TFW.
We made the right decision!
The knock on effect is good
Who's stupid idea was it to go to Salford?
No, it's not on him.
What a ridiculous idea that would have been
East Didsbury, how many is that?
I'll put it in the corner,
it's alright.
(Geoff laughs)
We're going to reverse at, Firswood.
It's not an island platform, is it?
No.
It's an up-and-over, yeah.
Reversing at Firswood,
so we're going to repeat Firswood train,
and we're going to repeat...
We'll repeat Chorlton and St. Werburgh's Road.
Is Chorlton
"Chorlton & the Wheelies" Chorlton?
Yes, because the Cosgrove Hall Studio
is where they shot it.
Can you hum the theme to
"Chorlton & the Wheelies"
(Karl singing)
He's doing it!
We are getting the tram...
This tram, all the way to the airport.
All the way to the airport.
This is bit is a bit tedious
Yes!
And it's a single, nor a double.
Oh, no!
Just left Wythenshawe Park,
Moor Road is next.
So Wythenshawe Park is 49, Moor Road is 50.
So, right now...
Halfway!
Is now is halfway,
and we're just over the three-hour mark.
Three hours and five minutes.
So we could be halfway in three hours,
could do the whole thing in six hours,
maybe just over six hours,
Where are we, sir?
Manchester Airport, finally!
[PA] We are now approaching
Manchester Airport,
where you can change
Or, as by our rules, which we are allowed to do
cause we set them.
We're going to get a taxi, like this.
Thank you, mate!
Thank you!
We made it.
We got snacks just in time,
so hang on, Altrincham 61...
[PA] This is a service to Piccadilly. This is Dane Road, 66.
Stretford is next.
67.
67, so that marks the two-thirds
of the way through.
Karl has the stopwatch,
we have been going for...
Four hours and one minute.
So, we should...
We could finish in six hours.
I'm going to say six hours, 10 minutes.
6:30
6:30?
Cornbrook, number 70.
So we get whatever comes next,
whether it's one up to Eccles or Trafford Centre.
The next one's an East Disdbury.
So, Trafford Centre in 5-6 minutes.
So we go to Trafford Centre first.
Yeah.
Alright.
This is Pomona.
When I think of Ponoma,
I think of Poloma Faith.
That's at the least used station
on the Manchester Tram Network.
So, we're approaching Parkway,
which is station number...
75
And this branch is...
Brand new, opened in March, 2020.
There's talk of extending it out to the Port Salford,
but nothing is happening, as of yet.
But Trafford Centre for the moment .
Alright, so Parkway is 75.
75!
Three quarters.
Yes, nearly there.
So we got a taxi to Eccles,
ah, that's annoying.
I feel like we just missed one,
if we had got the one before
we might finish in six hours.
as it is, we are finishing in six hours...
6 hours and 10.
That's alright, but it's going via Mediacity
The sun's come out, it's a nice day.
Made it to Media city, that's number 83.
The tram driver changes ends and drives out the other end.
Like that.
(Severe Tram Screeching Noise, come on TFGM sort this one out! )
We made it to St. Peter's Square.
That's number 89.
Are you exhausted?
I'm exhausted...
It's been a long day.
I'm tired now, just really tired.
It's been a long day.
So we're making a change here
to go back through Exchange Square,
change to Victoria...
Yep.
Then pick up the Bury train
Home stretch
Home stretch.
I want to have a nap.
(both laugh)
And we'll probably be finished at around 5 o'clock.
Yeah, there or thereabouts .
That will be around 6 hours 20 minutes.
At least the sun's out now,
look, the camera is slowly angling down, down, and down.
This is gonna fall.
That's not a T68, is it?
It's not, no.
T68 was the ... they were the rolling stock we used to have,
they're hard as nails
and blessed with the looks that
only a mother could love.
They were slowly phased out,
I think the last one was in service 2012 / 2013.
So what are these?
What are these known as?
Uh, Bombardier M5000's
Which are better?
Oh, these by a mile.
Far better.
But the T68 sounds like a robot
from the Terminator franchise.
And they look like it, yes.
Chaning at Victoria
When's the next Bury tram?
10 minutes?
I'm guessing it will be 10 minutes
About time for a tea then.
Besses o' th' Barn.
How'd you pronounce it?
Besses of the Barn
This is the Bury line,
this is an old British rail line.
Yep.
Yeah they used to run from Victoria to Bury
every 15 minutes.
So it's the same journey what we've just done now.
So proper trains used to come down here?
They did.
And now we've got a converted tram.
Yes, late '91 and then obviously...
for it to opne then in April '92
Now!
6 hours 21
So with a final time of...
6 hours, 21 minutes, and 31 seconds.
We're sat in the little gardens with the statue
behind Bury interchange bus station/tram station.
Thanks Karl!
Pleasure
Takes 6 hours,
if you were doing byTube Challenge rules you couldn't use a taxi
you'd have to use public transport only.
We could have done it a bit quicker.
Yeah.
But it was fun to do. We were lucky, I think.
We were lucky...
We did well.
We could have made the Eccles tram one sooner
to be 10 minutes faster.
Yep
But just over 6 hours
Yeah
That's it, I am exhausted.
And all I've done is sat on trams all day.
Karl Florczak, Northern correspondent, shuffles papers.
See you next time
Bye bye, folks.